Fullerton Asks Residents to Conserve Water Supply : Drought: The call for less consumption is part of a growing push by political subdivisions to trim usage lest mandatory cuts be required.

Fullerton on Tuesday became one of a growing number of Orange County cities to ask its residents to reduce their water consumption.

The City Council called on residents to cut water use by 10%, and city officials warned that mandatory water reductions and fines for people who waste water could be imposed this summer if voluntary measures are not successful.

Fullerton’s action came the same day Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder announced that she intends to propose a county ordinance requiring developers to comply with water conservation guidelines in order to receive a building permit.

Wieder, the board’s most outspoken advocate of water conservation, said the ordinance would help the county grapple with increasingly dire water shortages. The guidelines are being developed by a Water Conservation Task Force, which expects to make its report in June.

Most cities and water districts in Orange County are considering some type of water conservation plan in an attempt to battle worsening drought conditions.

Last week the South Coast Water District called on Laguna Beach and Dana Point residents to cut water use by 10%.

The Newport Beach City Council is scheduled to vote on an ordinance May 14 that would require a 50% surcharge for water used for residential and commercial construction and a 10% surcharge for residential consumption of more than 1,000 cubic feet per month.

San Clemente, which faced a water shortage last summer, has in place the county’s strictest water restrictions.

In January, the city imposed a 90-day freeze on new construction in an effort to conserve water. A month later, the City Council gave city staff the power to cut off service to irrigation systems that use too much water during a water emergency.

Wieder’s proposed ordinance could make building permits dependent on approval of a “water management plan” for any proposed development.

Some area developers already have expressed concern about the proposed water management requirement, saying it could increase the cost of housing by adding another layer of bureaucracy to the planning and development process.

Wieder said she hopes that the building community will ultimately support her ordinance. The legislation, she added, would help the county achieve its goal of cutting water usage by 10%.

Wieder said she intends to draft an ordinance after she receives the work of the task force. An ordinance would probably be ready for the supervisors to consider in July, she said.

Orange County’s water problems are less severe than the shortages faced in other parts of the state because of a massive underground lake containing millions of gallons of water accumulated through centuries of percolation from the Santa Ana River.

The lake contains several years’ supply of water for the county, but only a certain amount per year can be drawn off lest seawater mingle with the lake, making it saline.

Because the lake is beneath only the northern and central portion of the county, South County residents have no access to it.